At its Annual Meeting held in May 2025 in San Diego, USA, and in response to the increasing availability and accessibility of AI tools, the International Trademark Association (INTA) announced the adoption of an initial set of guiding principles for policy-making aimed at balancing innovation and the protection of intellectual property rights:
Recognition of Human Contributions: Applicable regulations must clearly distinguish between contributions made by individuals and those by AI-generated systems, to ensure that human creativity is fairly compensated.
Human Oversight in IP Decisions: Final decisions regarding the registration, protection, validity, or cancellation of IP rights must involve human oversight. While AI can be used to reduce errors in judicial or administrative systems, final decisions must be made by humans.
Transparency and Consumer Trust: Transparency in the use of AI in creating products, services, and content is essential. Consumers must have access to information on the use of AI and the identity of the responsible party, particularly when there is a significant legal impact or potential harm.
Protection of Confidential Information: While transparency is important, it must be in line with the need to protect trade secrets and confidential information.
This initiative reflects INTA’s commitment to making policies in connection with AI.